Rúben Amorim is predicted to hand a first Manchester United start to Chido Obi as he lines his side up to face Brentford on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester United are back in Premier League action this Sunday as they travel to West London to take on Brentford.
Rúben Amorim’s side arrive with confidence after a convincing 3-0 win over Athletic Club in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final, with Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes leading the charge in Bilbao.
But while things are going smoothly in Europe, United’s league form remains a concern—they’ve gone five Premier League matches without a win.
With the return leg at Old Trafford just days away, Amorim is expected to rest several starters and give valuable minutes to a number of Academy players.
Five Academy players to start vs Brentford
With Amorim wanting to make a number of changes to rest players to prevent their injuries, five Academy players may be handed starts in West London.
André Onana is still likely to start in goal, although it’s thought that the defensive line in front of him may change.
With Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro in need of a rest and Noussair Mazraoui unavailable, Amorim may put Tyler Fredricson back in the starting side on the right of the back three after his fantastic performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Alongside Fredricson, Luke Shaw may return to the starting team to continue building his fitness, while Matthijs de Ligt, following his return from injury, could be handed his first start in over a month.
As for the wingbacks, Amorim recently hinted that Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu needed a rest, meaning Harry Amass may come back into the fold. Noussair Mazraoui’s absence from the squad leaves Amad as a possible option to return to the starting XI for the first time in 86 days, playing as a right wing-back.
In midfield, Kobbie Mainoo is expected to return to the side after he did not start in Spain on Thursday. Although Manuel Ugarte started the fixture, he only played 65 minutes while Casemiro played the full 90, meaning the Uruguayan international is more likely to start alongside Mainoo.
In the front three, Chido Obi may finally be handed his long-awaited first start for the club in place of Rasmus Højlund, who Amorim will want to save for the second leg in Europe.
“Maybe some kids will have to play against Brentford,” Amorim said earlier this week. “Chido cannot play against Athletic, but in the Premier League, yes, of course. They will have to play.”
With the 17-year-old being an inexperienced player, Amorim may deem it worth starting two of United’s more well-versed players on either side of him, and could opt to start Christian Eriksen on the right flank while Mason Mount would slot in on the left.
United predicted XI vs Brentford
Onana, Fredricson, De Ligt, Shaw, Amad, Ugarte, Mainoo, Amass, Eriksen, Obi, Mount.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.